Electrical flasher.



W. REED-LETHBRIDGE.

ELECTRICAL FLASHER.

APPLICATION FILED IuLv22. I9I5.

Rw 1 9 1.1 nn, l y a M d Lw H e t nd P.

, members 19 and 20. The

t anni onirica.

WILLIAM REED-LETHBRIDGE, 0F WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND.

incasso.

To all whom 'z't may concern.:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM REED-LETR- BRIDGE, la lbject of the King of Great Britain-andlland, residing at No. 10 Hawker street, in the city of lVellington, in the Domimon of New Zealand, have invented a new and usefull Improvement in Electrical Flashers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame.

This invention relates to electrical flashers and provides an apparatus whereby two sets of lamps or other electrical units are alternately illuminated or energized.

In carrying out the invention a single fiasher which may be of ordinary construction is employed to control the circuit to one set of lamps while the circuit to a second set of lamps'passes through a pivoted member which breaks the circuit to the second set of lamps when the first set of lamps is in circuit and which is operated by an electro-magnet which is energized when the circuit is passing to the first set of lamps.

The invention will be fully described with the aid of' the accompanying drawings wherein p Figure 1 is a plan of the device. Fig. 2 1s an inverted plan of the electromagnet. ig. 3 is a sectional plan of the electro-magnet. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the electromagnet. Fig. 5 is a sectiontof a detail. Fig. 6 is a diagrammatical view showing the electrical circuits.

Referring to the drawings a single flasher 1 of ordinary construction is mounted upon a non-conductive base 2. Thev flasherl comprises the usual hollow tube 3 fixed at one end to a terminal 4 and provided at its other end with a contact 5. The resistance coil 27 is insulated from the tube but is in Contact at one end with the terminal 4 while itskother end is connected to a4 terminal 6 having a contact 7.

Two reels of non-conductive material 8 and 9 wound to form solenoids 10 and 11 are fixed upon iron cores 12 and 13 sup ported in brackets 14 and'15 which are fixed to the base 2. The other ends of the cores 12 and 13 are fixed to a plate 16 by means of set screws 17 (see Figs. 4 and 5). Below the plate 16 is a block of insulating material 18 to the underside of which are fixed two block 18 isxed to the plate 16 as shown in Fig. 5. The end 21 of the solenoid coil 10 is fixed to the end Specification of Letters Patent.`

omitted.

. ELECTRICAL FLASHER.

of the member 19 and the end 22 of the solenold coil 1l is xed to the p ber 20 as shownvin Fig. 2. The opposite ends of the solenoid coils are joined together as indicated at 23 in Fig. 2.

In the plate 16 a horizontal contact member 24 is pivoted on pins 25 and has a vertical member 26 of iron. A pin 47 prevents the member 26 coming into actual contact with the ends of the iron cores 12 and 13. The front end of the horizontal member 24 1s provided with a contact 28 adapted to make contact with a vertical pillar 29 ixcd in the base 2.

The wiresv from the circuitv lead to terminals 30 and 31 .upon the base 2. A wire 32 leads from the terminal 30 to a terminal 33 upon the bracket 14 while a wire 34 leads Patenten May ie, icas. Application med iulyaa, 1915. serial No. 41,326.

en d of the memfrom this terminal to the end of the memmlnal 6 has a. wire 38 39. The terminal 31 may also be connected to a. terminal 40 by means of a wire 41. The

two sets of wires 42 and 43 from the two sets of lamps 44 and 45 are then connected to theirrespective terminals 36, 39 and 40.

In Fig. 6 the diagram of the circuit is shown all details of construction being The current passes from the terminal 30 to the terminal 33 thence along the bracket 14 to the core 12 and vthus to the plate 16 and core 13. From the plate 16 it passes along the member 24 to the pillar 29 and thence along the wire 35 to the terminal 36 and lamps 44, returning bythe wire 4l to the terminal 31. At the same time that the lamps 44 are in circuit electricity will be passingthrough -the solenoids to the resistance 27 of the flasher 1 and to the lamps 45 but since'the resistance 27 is' of fine iron wire and closely wound not sucient current will pass through it to affect the lamps 45. Nor is the current sufficient to energize the solenoids to enable them to attract the member 26 of the member 24 and so break the contactXto the pillar 29. e

Electricity, however, passing to the resistance 27 warms the tube 3 sufiiciently to expand it and so bring the contacts 5 and 7 together thereby providing a shunt path of less resistance to receive the greater portion of the current, a portion of which, however,

still continues to nass through the resistance 427. Immediately Athis occurs a full load of electricity will pass vthrough the coils of the solenoids 10 and 11 energizing them and drawing the member 26 toward them and thus breaking thecontact between the member 24 and the pillar 29. The circuit is now along the wire 34 to the member 19 then to the solenoid coils lO'and 11 and member 20 and thus to the lamps 45 through the medium of the Wire 37, asher 1 and wire 38. Since most of the current now flows from the ,terminal 4 to the terminal 6 and short circuiting the flasher, the tube 3,

with less current passing through the resistance 27, Will cool and contracting break the contact between the points 5 and I and thus extinguish the lamps 45 and again allow the current to pass to the lamps 44.

, What I claim is l. In an electric flasher of the class vdescribed, a set of lamps, a single iasher controlling the circuit to said set of lamps, a second set of lamps, an electro-magnet, a pivoted member, a circuit passing through said pivoted member to said second set of lamps, said pivoted member adaptedl to make and break the said circuit to said second set of lamps, the circuit to said first set of lamps passing through the coils of said electro-magnet and adapted to fully ener- `said piv'oted member'to said second set of lamps, said current to said second set of lamps being broken when said electro-'magnet is fully energized, the circuit vto said first set of lamps rstpassing through thev coils of said electro-magnet and adapted to' fully energize said electro-magnet 'when the full current passes through said single flasher, and so break the circuit of said second set of lamps by means of the pivoted member, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM REED-LETHBRIDGE.

' Witnesses:

SYDNEY H. HIGGS, E. P. ODONNELL. 

